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Liam Lawson and Sergio Perez have both avoided penalties from the stewards at the Austrian Grand Prix despite separate rules breaches. Lawson was investigated after crossing the pit exit white line while trying to line up for a practice start, with the stewards concluding that “albeit a breach technically occurred, the actions taken…were appropriate given the circumstances”. Perez was also let off after his car “moved before the start signal was given”, as he had already retired with overheating brakes by the time it was reported.
Kimi Antonelli said early mistakes and brake problems meant he joined “the party” too late to mount a proper fight for victory in the Austrian Grand Prix. Kimi Antonelli said: "I was a bit too excited in the first laps and definitely didn't drive well. Too many mistakes and even in the first stint with the medium, I lost 3-4 seconds with mistakes. I was struggling with the brakes but after we changed tyre I reset and the pace at the end was very strong. It was a shame I joined the party a bit too late."
Max Verstappen said Red Bull’s second place at the Austrian Grand Prix was “extremely positive” after he finished 1.6 seconds behind winner George Russell at the Red Bull Ring. Verstappen said: "I think it was of course a very good race for us. The first few laps were quite fun and then it was trying to manage your tyres. Then we picked up let's say a few issues with the car which prevented me from basically finding that nice rhythm. But still, to be second and close to a win I think is extremely positive for us. So in that sense, I'm very happy."
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said the team will review its Austrian Grand Prix strategy after potentially missing the chance for Max Verstappen to undercut race winner George Russell, with Verstappen finishing second at the Red Bull Ring. Mekies said: "It is something we will review, of course. But starting positions do matter, and we paid a little bit [the price of] having started a little bit further away from the top spot, but it's a move in the right direction for the whole team."
Charles Leclerc says he does not yet have a clear picture of what he wants from Ferrari’s SF-26 after describing the Austrian Grand Prix as an “incredibly difficult” race in which he finished eighth. Leclerc said: "I think I've been working very hard in the past weeks, because there was always one reason or another that made me struggle on the Sunday, or on the Saturday, but at the moment there's always a reason why there's a struggle. That probably means that I don't really have a clear picture of what I want from this car. I've got to find that."
George Russell said his recent run of tough races had “tested” him “psychologically”, after winning the Austrian Grand Prix for his second victory of the season. Russell said: "The tough races definitely test you psychologically. These last two weekends for me have been vitally important to remind myself I can do it."
Max Verstappen said issues with his Red Bull in the latter stages of the Austrian Grand Prix stopped him from having a proper chance to fight George Russell for the win, after finishing second at the Red Bull Ring. Verstappen said: "I think the car was in quite a good window for, I would say, half of the race. And then we just picked up a few, let's say, issues with the car, which then prevented me from basically finding that nice rhythm. But still to be second, that close to a win, I think, is extremely positive for us."
McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown said he would be surprised if Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri left the team, but did not rule out an interest in Max Verstappen if a seat became available after he was asked about signing the Red Bull driver amid speculation over Verstappen’s future. Brown said: "I'd be very surprised if Lando or Oscar went elsewhere, because they are very happy. Of course they have contracts but besides that, we're very happy with them and they are very happy here. If for some strange reason someone slipped on a banana peel getting out of the tub, then yeah of course, Max is a four-time world champion."
Mercedes drivers George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli both suffered drinks system failures during the Austrian Grand Prix. Russell, who won the 71-lap race, told his engineer: “Drink system failed, nice race for it to do so.... I’m a little bit thirsty!”, while Antonelli said in the cooldown room that his W17 had the same issue after finishing third.
Kimi Antonelli said he was “too excited” and made too many early mistakes at the Austrian Grand Prix, leaving him to settle for third after closing on Max Verstappen late on. Antonelli said: "I was a bit too excited in the first few laps, and definitely didn't drive well and did too many mistakes. And even in the first stint on the medium, I lost three or four seconds with mistakes. But after I changed tyres, I reset, and the pace at the end was very strong, and it was a shame that I joined the party a bit too late. Two or three more laps would have been a lot of fun."
Toto Wolff says Ferrari will have to slow their development rate soon to avoid breaching Formula 1’s cost cap, as he believes they are introducing new parts at a pace Mercedes cannot match within their own budget margin. Wolff said: "Ferrari has been throwing things at their car massively. I guess they will be running out of cost cap soon because we couldn't do it because we simply haven't got the margin financially. So let's see where that leads them."
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur said the team “over-pushed” early on in the Austrian Grand Prix as they tried to stay with the front-runners, and ended up “overheating and destroying everything”. Vasseur said: "I think compared to McLaren, we were there, but compared to Mercedes and Max, it was more difficult. We over-pushed probably the first couple of laps to stay with them and we destroyed a bit everything."
George Russell said the last two weekends have been vital to “remind myself I can do it” after converting pole position into victory at the Austrian Grand Prix. Russell said: "The tough races definitely test you psychologically, and these last two weekends for me have been vitally important to remind myself I can do it. Single lap, race pace, was very strong this weekend, and on a track that is probably not very well-suited to my style, so I'm looking forward to heading to Silverstone next week, seeing all the home fans. I'm sure it's going to be great."
Mercedes team chief Toto Wolff said George Russell’s Austrian Grand Prix win was “cold-blooded” after the Briton converted pole position into victory at the Red Bull Ring. Wolff said: "Since Q3 yesterday, until now, perfect execution [from Russell]. He was quick, managed the tyres well, cold-blooded, really happy for him."
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff said Kimi Antonelli’s early-lap errors cost him a chance of winning the Austrian Grand Prix. Toto Wolff said: "I think he was very eager at the beginning to get the victory done in the first couple of laps, and that cost him dearly. But I like the enthusiasm... I've said it before, we want a driver to be full on the attack all the time rather than; you can't you can't accelerate a donkey, but you you can calm down a racehorse."
Oscar Piastri has been summoned to the stewards after the Austrian Grand Prix over an alleged failure to follow the race director’s instructions. The McLaren driver, who finished fourth at the Red Bull Ring, is due to see the stewards at 17:10 local time, with the incident listed as “driving unnecessarily slowly” on the reconnaissance laps to the grid before the race.
⚪️ George Russell: "Incredible to be back on the top step. It's been a little while, so I will definitely enjoy this one this evening! A lot of hard work with my team to get us back on track. Obviously it was a tricky run of form at one point. "Max and Red Bull were incredibly quick this weekend, so kudos to them. I had to push every single lap and I knew how quick the guys were behind. Kimi has been extraordinarily quick this season, so every lap I was looking at the timing board. "The tough races definitely test you psychologically. These last two weekends for me have been vitally important to remind myself I can do it." 🔵 Max Verstappen: "It was a very good race for us. The first few laps were quite fun and then it was basically trying to manage your tyres. I think I was in quite a good window for half the race and then picked up a few issues with the car which prevented me from finding that rhythm. "But to be second and that close to a win is extremely positive. I knocked my knees in qualifying, that was not nice, but today was okay." ⚪️ Kimi Antonelli: "I was a bit too excited on the first few laps! Definitely didn't drive well. I did too many mistakes and on the first stint on the medium, I lost three or four seconds with the mistakes. I was struggling with the brakes. "After I changed tyres, I reset and the pace at the end was very strong. It was a shame I joined the party a bit too late. On my side, there's a lot to improve, but still.. minimise the mistakes."
George Russell kept a charging Max Verstappen in the upgraded Red Bull at bay to win F1's Austrian GP, his first Sunday victory since the season opener
Drivers' Standings 1) Kimi Antonelli - 171 2) George Russell - 131 3) Lewis Hamilton - 125 4) Oscar Piastri - 80 5) Lando Norris - 79 6) Charles Leclerc - 79 7) Max Verstappen - 73 8) Isack Hadjar - 42 9) Pierre Gasly - 41 10) Liam Lawson - 30 11) Oliver Bearman - 18 12) Franco Colapinto - 16 13) Arvid Lindblad - 14 14) Carlos Sainz Jnr - 6 15) Alexander Albon - 5 16) Esteban Ocon - 3 17) Gabriel Bortoleto - 2 18) Fernando Alonso - 1 19) Nico Hulkenberg - 0 20) Valtteri Bottas - 0 21) Sergio Perez - 0 22) Lance Stroll - 0 Constructors' Standings 1) Mercedes - 302 2) Ferrari - 204 3) McLaren - 159 4) Red Bull - 115 5) Alpine - 57 6) Racing Bulls - 44 7) Haas - 21 8) Williams - 11 9) Audi - 2 10) Aston Martin - 1 11) Cadillac - 0
P1) George Russell – 1:11.832 P2) Max Verstappen: +1.611 P3) Kimi Antonelli: +1.986 P4) Oscar Piastri: +21.809 P5) Lewis Hamilton: +26.393 P6) Isack Hadjar: +29.399 P7) Lando Norris: +31.505 P8) Charles Leclerc: +45.659 P9) Liam Lawson: +1 lap P10) Arvid Lindblad: +1 lap P11) Gabriel Bortoleto: +1 lap P12) Nico Hülkenberg: +1 lap P13) Pierre Gasly: +1 lap P14) Oliver Bearman: +1 lap P15) Franco Colapinto: +1 lap P16) Esteban Ocon: +2 laps P17) Alexander Albon: +2 laps P18) Fernando Alonso: +3 laps DNF) Lance Stroll Carlos Sainz Sergio Perez Valtteri Bottas
Sergio Perez has added a Venezuela tribute sticker to his helmet for the Austrian Grand Prix in memory of the victims of the country’s recent earthquakes. Posting a photo of the helmet on social media, Perez wrote: “Thinking of everyone in Venezuela. Stay strong.”
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